


These Small Hours

by agentsimmons



Series: Yours. Mine. Ours. [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Bruce Banner, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Past, Past Maya Hansen/Tony Stark, Pre-Slash, Prequel, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 08:53:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9314414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentsimmons/pseuds/agentsimmons
Summary: Once upon a time they were just two men building their separate lives and families. These are some of the twists and turns of fate that eventually led them to one another.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collection of ficlets that precede the events of Lucky Thirteen. They won't be in any particular sequential order.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony would usually have run out by now. So why is this one night stand different?

There was a rustle of blankets and a small, waking groan. It was followed by a muffled, "Tony?"

Tony came back from inside his head, looking up from the name badge he'd been fiddling with in his hand to stare at a spot on the wall. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

That was a loaded question if ever he'd heard one. It may have been the hardest question he'd ever faced in all his time so far spent on the miserable planet. What _was_ he doing?

And it wasn't the only question on his mind. For nearly two hours he'd been bombarded with questions of a similar notion. What are you still doing here? Why does your conscience suddenly sound like Dr. Yinsen? Why do you feel so weird? What was so special about last night anyway? Why did you wait around to sleep with her when there were plenty of others available? Why didn't you run the moment you found out she has a kid? Why aren't you running now?

He'd been going through the possible answers and excuses over and over, trying to manipulate the variables until the solution worked. But every time he thought he'd gotten the solution, it didn't check. Every time he stood to leave he made the mistake of looking at the bed where Dr. Maya Hansen still slept, unaware of his struggle with every peaceful rise and fall of her chest. Every time he took a step he was knocked right back into the chair he still sat in as his perfect recall pulled up memories of the night before.

It wasn't even the sex, as good as it had been. No, he was flooded with memories of the way her eyes lit up, the way she smiled, the inflections in her voice when she started talking about the things that mattered to her, the way she'd held her own with Dr. Yinsen, her resilience in light of so much hell and heartache, the way her face looked when she was amused or the way it looked when she wasn't, the way the lines of her face and soul in her eyes spoke of some deeper well he wanted to draw from. All the while Dr. Yinsen's words echoed as the soundtrack to these images.

He heard the rustle of the blankets again and caught a glimpse of the woman in the mirror as she strode over to the desk where he still silently sat, unable to answer the question. Her bare arms wrapped around his neck and she bent down to kiss him on his temple.

"The bed's cold without you," she purred, although there was something ordinary about the way she spoke. It wasn't anything like the models, female or male, that he'd been with. It wasn't anything like the men and women just looking for a quick ride or maybe a little fame. It was, well, for lack of a better word, real. Or at least it felt real.

That ordinary, everyday, realness must have woven some kind of spell over him because he should have already been on his way to his private jet by now, not there with her arms wrapped around him and everything in him begging for more. This wasn't how it worked, the last logical part left of his brain screamed at him.

"What's that?" She reached with one hand for the discarded name tag and Tony's eyes widened. "You know who I am?"

She stepped back then and studied it. "I was just..." Tony started, but didn't know how to finish.

"Oh," she said and moved back to sit on the bed. "Overslept?" She raised an eyebrow in his direction. "This must be pretty awkward for you."

"No, it's not— It's not like that," Tony said before his brain could even process the words. Given her expression she seemed to agree it was bullshit. "Okay, it _was_ like that. I was going to leave. I usually do."

For half a second fury and shame fell like a shadow across her face before she schooled it into something sternly neutral. She got up from the bed and crossed over to where a robe hung.

"You know, it's my fault really," she said as she shrugged it on. "I don't know why I thought it might be more than just one night." Tony's eyes widened. Had she felt something too? Wait, what had _he_ felt? She turned and looked at him. "I don't know why I don't seem to know what's good for me. I told myself, no. No more science and definitely no more scientists." She snorted and he didn't like the sound. It was too self-derisive and defeated. "Well, at least it was fun I guess." Then she sighed as if she'd run out of steam. She hung her head. "You can leave now," she said, turning again.

"I don't want to!" Tony blurted as he shot up to his feet. Maya's eyes were probably almost as wide as his own were as she spun back around. He took a deep breath and let all of his conflicting emotions settle over him. "I..." He looked down and then back up as realization hit him. "I don't want to."

"Why?"

And _that_ was the hardest question he'd ever faced. Hands down. It hung in the air as his thoughts raced down paths, looking for the answer.

_"A word before you go, Mr. Stark?" Dr. Yinsen gestured for him to come over and Tony looked back and forth between him and Dr. Hansen. He sighed and hoped this wouldn't take any longer. It had taken quite a while already._

_"Look, I'm not trying to be rude pulling her away like this," Tony said to him in a low voice suited for a private conversation._

_Dr. Yinsen smiled. "I understand. You've already indulged me more than you're used to I imagine. And I'm sure you're more eager now than when you first set eyes on her." Tony's eyes widened and he glanced back. That was certainly true. In fact, he wanted Dr. Hansen so badly at this point it was maybe a miracle he had waited this long. He sure hoped after all of this he still managed to get lucky with her. "Good," Dr. Yinsen broke through his thoughts. "A little patience in these matters is usually more satisfactory."_

_Tony looked back at him with a wry grin. "I sure hope so. Wish me luck."_

_"Luck," Dr. Yinsen echoed the word with a small, considering sort of hum. "As I told another man tonight: 'Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.'"_

_Tony furrowed his brow. "Garrison Keillor."_

_Dr. Yinsen gave a smile and nodded. "Yes. What I mean to say is, you already have a great life, Mr. Stark. The kind anyone would wish to have. But do not make the mistake of wasting it." Dr. Yinsen glanced at Dr. Hansen and Tony followed his gaze to see the woman chatting with Happy, her face scrunched up in amusement over something. "You may wake up one day and realize you have absolutely everything and yet nothing at all."_

"Because," Tony finally found the answer, like a strange epiphany he hadn't counted on, "I think if I leave now I might just regret it one day." Her stern face softened and she slowly tilted her head. "So…" He paused, considering his words since he wasn't quite used to this. "So, if you're willing to give me another chance after what I almost did to you… I would like to get to know you, Maya. I'd at least like to take you on a real date."

Tony held his breath, feeling vulnerable in a way he had tried long ago to stop feeling, as he waited for her answer. She studied him for a long moment. Then that long moment turned into a longer moment.

Finally she said, "I have to get back to my son. My flight leaves—"

"When mine leaves." Tony figured if he was going to do this right he'd have to lay down his chips with this the same as he did with everything else. Win or lose, he was a high-risk sort of gambler so he might as well give it the same high-risk gamble with a relationship for once. She blinking at him in obvious surprise. "That is if you want. We can leave right now if you want. The jet's ready. I'll just call and tell them where you need me to drop you. We can have a meal on the plane or before or when we land or at your place. Whatever you want. You know, _if_ you want."

"I…" She smiled and shrugged, head going from one side to the other like she couldn't quite believe it either. "I do." **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. It seemed fitting to post something in this universe on Friday the 13th!  
> 2\. I promise you I'm working on the next present-canon fic in the series. It will hopefully be posted between now and sometime next month. I have a few things in the pipeline, outside this series, to be posted before that though.  
> 3\. Title of this chapter taken from "Lucky One" by Alison Krauss, which has long been a song that I've related to Tony and seemed fitting for the Tony in this verse, about to become lucky in a different way.  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Title from the song Little Wonders by Rob Thomas - since the song feels very fitting for this verse in my opinion.


End file.
